SACRAMENTO – Following the tragic shooting death of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco at the hands of a previously deported convicted felon, Senator Mike Morrell (R-Rancho Cucamonga) has introduced Senate Joint Resolution 17 to call on Congress to pass legislation that would inhibit the ability of sanctuary cities to harbor deported criminals who have since returned to the United States illegally.

“Sanctuary cities across the country have willingly defied the federal government in choosing to protect criminals over the lives of law-abiding citizens,” said Morrell. “Kathryn’s death is a tragic example of the dangers these policies pose for our neighborhoods and communities. Congress needs to remove the incentive for convicted criminals to defiantly return to the United States after deportation. As legislators, we must join together in recognizing that it is the duty of all elected officials to preserve the safety of those we represent.”

If approved by the legislature, the resolution would urge Congress to pass a measure creating a mandatory sentence of five years in a federal penitentiary for an individual who has returned to the United States illegally after having been deported and previously convicted of a felony. Such a proposal is currently being discussed nationwide as “Kate’s Law”.

Kathryn Steinle was killed on July 1 while visiting San Francisco with her father. The alleged gunman, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, is a seven-time convicted felon and has been deported five times. He was turned over to San Francisco authorities in March for drug offenses. Rather than comply with a request by federal authorities to be notified of Lopez-Sanchez’s release, San Francisco officials, in keeping with the city’s misguided sanctuary law, ignored it, placing the lives of citizens in harm’s way.